Nintendo Download: Waka Waka Waka…

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- This week’s Nintendo Download includes the following featured content:

The highly acclaimed PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION series has finally come to Nintendo Switch. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch

PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2 PLUS – The highly acclaimed PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION series has finally come to Nintendo Switch. Featuring eye-popping high-resolution 3D graphics and funky visuals, the latest version of the classic game takes chomping and chasing through mazes to a whole new level.

PAYDAY 2 – PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew – Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains – as they descend on Washington, D.C., for an epic crime spree. (Additional games and systems required for multiplayer mode. Sold separately.) PAYDAY 2 launches on Feb. 27.

Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS

SteamWorld Dig 2 – SteamWorld Dig 2 takes you on a platform mining adventure. When an old trading town is struck by mysterious earthquakes, it’s up to a lone steambot and her unlikely companion to uncover what trembling terrors lie beneath. Dig your way underground and explore vivid worlds riddled with treasure, secrets and traps.

New Update:

Super Mario Odyssey Update – Starting today, you can download a free update for the Super Mario Odyssey game for the Nintendo Switch system. The free update adds a fun new minigame called Balloon World (internet access required*), which you can play after finishing the main story. To get started, just find Luigi in a kingdom and talk to him! In Hide It mode, you can take a balloon and hide it somewhere in that kingdom for other players to find. In Find It mode, you must find balloons hidden by other players. There’s a limited time to hide and find the balloons, so act fast! All the secret and out-of-the-way areas you found while playing the game will come in handy! The update also adds new outfits and filters to use in Snapshot Mode!

Nintendo eShop sales:

Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U

Great deals this week! Check out the full list of deals available this week at https://www.nintendo.com/games/sales-and-deals.

I can always appreciate a good looking 2D animated fighting game! By the way... this game should totally have "Donkey" from Shrek!

Humble Bundle is excited to announce its newest published game, Them's Fightin' Herds, just released on Thursday, February 22 at 1 p.m. Pacific time! This 2D fighting game features a cast of 4-legged combatants! Beneath the cute and cuddly surface designed by acclaimed cartoon producer and developer Lauren Faust, a serious and mechanically deep, GGPO-powered fighter awaits!

Xbox Wire: Halo World Championship 2018 finals will take place at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle, WA.

Halo World Championship is the crown jewel of Halo eSports, with 16 qualifying teams from around the world competing for their share of $1 million. It will be going down from April 13 - 15 (2018).

Today also marks the start of the Halo World Championship circuit with the HaloWC 2018 Orlando Open.

This is the first open Halo tournament run by newly signed partner MLG in five years, with more than 100 teams registered to compete. There is $50,000 on the line along with qualification points, as well as $5,000 for the Free-For-All tournament.

Be Among the First to Play Kirby Star Allies for Nintendo Switch and Unleash the Power of Kindness at the Convention

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- While the nation celebrates Random Acts of Kindness Day this weekend, Kirby, the charming hero known for his powerful Copy Abilities, is preparing a celebration of his own at this year’s Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle. Attendees of Emerald City Comic Con will not only be among the first to play the Kirby Star Allies game for the Nintendo Switch system and try out Kirby’s new Copy Abilities before the game launches on March 16, they will also have the chance to earn cool Kirby themed items for being nice to people around them – just like Kirby himself!

Kirby Star Allies is one of the largest and most robust games in the Kirby series – and the first on Nintendo Switch! (Graphic: Business Wire)

In Kirby’s new game, he uses a new ability to turn his enemies into friends to create a powerful team to save Planet Popstar. But despite his friendly appearance, Kirby brings some seriously powerful new moves and abilities to his new game that would even impress the most hardened video game players. In fact, Kirby’s moves in Kirby Star Allies are some of his most powerful and impressive yet.

And just like Kirby, attendees of Emerald City Comic Con will have the opportunity to unleash some powerful moves of their own – the power to make the world a better place through acts of kindness! Kirby would be so proud.

Select Nintendo representatives will be walking around Emerald City Comic Con March 1-4 to reward people for performing random acts of kindness for other people. If these mobile Nintendo teams catch a Comic Con attendee doing something nice, from holding the door for a stranger to picking up litter, that person will get the chance to earn fun Kirby themed items.

These same mobile teams will also be surprising people waiting in lines around the convention with the opportunity to play Kirby Star Allies for Nintendo Switch in Handheld Mode. The game will also be available to play at the Nintendo booth in TV Mode.

“Many of our classic characters are heroes in numerous ways, but Kirby epitomizes what it’s like to be powerful, but also kind,” said Cindy Gordon, Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Strategic Communications. “While we love bringing our games directly to fans at events like this, we wanted to do something a little different this time to show that teamwork and kindness are two of the most powerful forces around.”

Kirby Star Allies is one of the largest and most robust games in the Kirby series – and the first on Nintendo Switch! In the game, Kirby can recruit enemies by tossing out hearts to gather friends for a party of up to four characters. This newly formed party can be used to solve clever puzzles or unleash powerful friend abilities. In addition to familiar Copy Abilities like Sword, Fire, Ice, Stone, Bomb and more, Kirby will have access to new abilities like Spider, Artist and Staff. Some Copy abilities can even be imbued with different elements, such as wind, water, fire and electricity. Kirby uses this large collection of powerful moves and abilities to make his way through a wide variety of colorful and challenging worlds.

Up to four players can play together in local co-op, with one player controlling Kirby and, for the first time in the series, the other players taking control of the recruited enemies (additional accessories may be required in multiplayer mode). Players can still embark on the adventure solo, though, with team members automatically controlled by the game.

Always an honor to review products directly from the showroom floor... but I won't get all mushy on you, let's just dive in! Opening the box, I knew we were receiving a product from Mobile Edge... I just didn't know which one in particular. Regardless, I was excited to find out. Opening up the box, the bag was wrapped in some durable plastic... which I appreciated and I hope they maintain this because you never know where a package is going or when it will rain.

After taking the bag out of the plastic, it's safe to say that I will gear this product review to those of you interested in getting your hands on a new briefcase. Since this is SDGT Entertainment, gaming will be included in one way or another... so stay tuned because this briefcase might be for you, whether you're in business, a student or a superhero who needs to blend in.

Right off the bat, you see the three compartments in the front of this MOBILE EDGE... Graphite Corporate Briefcase. The first horizontal compartment has two sleeves for pens... which is great for those of us who own drawing tablets or anyone else who may want a place for other writing/drawing utensils. The other two compartments you see don't have those sleeves (which is okay), but that space comes in handy for things like your phone, AC adapters, cables, etc. Just above these compartments is a quick access pocket with nice soft material that should serve well for your pocket change, keys and things like that... so you don't have to worry about digging in your pocket for certain things when on the go (i.e. emptying your pockets at the airport).

Going back to the compartment that holds the pens... I like that it's separate because I've had experiences where a pen would break and I'd get a horrible surprise (some of you know exactly what I mean).

Opening this briefcase up, I immediately felt the quality of the product... both inside and out. It feels nice and... you know how you can just feel something and tell that it's durable? That immediately came to mind when I took it out of the plastic, but I found out why. The briefcase has a 1680D Ballistic Nylon exterior which is heavy duty and resistant to things like... abrasions. To give you a better idea of what this is, you can find this material used for tool belts, heavy duty protective covers, safety jackets and things like that.

The interior you see below feels like it should protect the interior from outside liquids spilling and possibly causing damage. I appreciate the added level of protection, but not only that... take a look at the front and back compartments of the interior:

The front compartment has an info slot... which is always a plus in hopes that someone does right by your property in that scary situation of it being misplaced. This is something I've come to expect out of products like this, but not the memory storage... that was a pleasant surprise.

The front compartment allows you to safely store two SD Cards and two memory sticks, instead of them just being tossed anywhere for transport... there's an actual designated spot. This memory slot pouch also doubles as an additional pocket in front of 3 additional pockets (see the card sticking out?). If you look across, you also have two big mesh pockets in this compartment... so you have a good amount of storage so far, but there's more.

The back compartment is a zip-down workstation with two big pockets... which are areas for additional storage and... an accordion file section to keep files and documents neat. For some of us, this might be used for strategy guides, comic books, and sketch pads also. It's a nice touch because at times papers and/or files are placed with other contents and they get bent up or crumpled to a degree. When I think professional a level of neatness comes to mind... and this briefcase has enough to keep things together well.

The first thing I notice about the multi-purpose compartment is that its spacious. It stores up to a 16" laptop in the center section (which is common)... but it also has room for an ultrabook and a tablet in the side sections with straps that keep these devices in place. Of course, I had to try it out, so take a look at... the image below this image.

As you see I have a tablet with an added keyboard attachment inside a case (shout out to the Saints Row fans), and a 360 laptop in the center section... with room to actually place two identical laptops in this area. I probably wouldn't chance them clapping together, but I want to give you an idea of the space. I don't like playing tug of war with an imaginary friend at the airport or on a plane while trying to get my laptop out of a case... so I always appreciate a roomy laptop compartment. The velcro on the padded handle is also a nice touch, I don't have to worry about keeping the handles together or unbuckling a strap... you just pull them apart.

I had to tuck gaming in somewhere (literally)... and as you see below, I was able to place a game controller and gaming headset into one of the side sections. So instead of an ultrabook... I was able to comfortably place these peripherals in this area. These would be my go to items for travel along with a laptop, but this area would also work well for external hard drives and other things that fit.

I appreciate that this briefcase is floor-ready because some lack this feature (usually found on hardshell models) like an old one I have that has to be leaned against something. Even when it leaned against a chair in the airport, depending on the type of flooring they have it will usually end up laying on the ground which is annoying. I'd probably be paranoid that this briefcase will fall over regardless... but it hasn't fallen over when I tested it out (and I pushed it slightly from both sides to test it out, still didn't fall over).

On the back of the briefcase... you will find a trolley strap... which is a plus that should come in handy for any professional seeking or required to travel because it connects to your rolling luggage with no need to carry it separately (for those unfamiliar with trolley straps). You might shrug your shoulders if you don't see the value in them, but having this little feature comes in handy whether you're making your way to a plane, train, ship or elsewhere. There are some huge airports that require a crap load of walking, factor in the additional walking through the hotel, down the street or anywhere else you want or have to go and... this little feature is something to rejoice.

The back compartment of the briefcase would've been great in front when connected to your luggage because it would've been like a mobile workstation to get some paperwork done, but the front compartment also folds down... if you want to use it in a similar fashion.

What you also get with this briefcase is a wide padded shoulder strap (seen below). Like the briefcase, this is also very durable... and has a slight curve in the shoulder pad so you aren't walking around taking a pad to the neck. I bring that up because trips aren't always a short duration so the comfort is there when it counts... and I'd expect no less from a business-grade briefcase.

Pricewise you can get this briefcase for less than $90... which is solid, especially compared to other products. I understand why some cost more (like the leather, metal and other hardshell types)... but the quality and features don't always have to be on the expensive end (and all don't have the features this briefcase has).

Mobile Edge added more than enough features to make this a nice briefcase for travel and for business... so that everything isn't crammed in the same sections. There are businessmen and women who prefer a more sleek look (which they're entitled too), and Mobile Edge has you covered with the Graphite Nylon Briefcase... so check out the reviewed product and the other options here.

Overall, the Mobile Edge Graphite Corporate Briefcase is a durable product with the right features, a lifetime warranty, and a good price. These aren't just features, they're fitting for business, travel and if you really wanted to... you can slip in the right sized game console + an ultrabook. I say that to say the features can get the job.

SpellForce 3 reminds me of why I'm a fan of RTS games, but it also reminds me of why they're frustrating as hell... sometimes.

Variety is what we generally try to present to you, which means we don't always get to play some of our favorite genre's... so getting back around to an RTS like SpellForce 3 was like "YES!" (for me). This is actually the first time I've ever played a game from the SpellForce franchise, but doing reviews has gotten me to put my stubbornness aside that required me to play previous installments first. That said... SpellForce 3 actually takes place before the first installment (about 500 years or so before the convocation) so that's cool and if I decide to backtrack... it would basically be moving ahead in the story. SpellForce: The Order of Dawn (the first game) took place after the convocation, followed by the second installment that took place a few centuries after the convocation... which is the central apocalyptic event in the SpellForce universe.

It was a ritual done by the Circle Mages that devastated the world. Yikes!

(Anyway) I do recommend playing "Scenario: Old-Haalayash" before jumping into the main SpellForce 3 campaign. This particular scenario plays out before the events of the main campaign, which definitely played on my stubborn side. The option to at least get up to speed with this mission... (versus reading or watching what happened prior) could not be ignored. Not only that, if you're a noob, you need to shake the rust off or you need to learn the user interface of this game... this mission is perfect. The initial missions of the main game get you up to speed as far as learning how to play, but you get backstory and experience in this scenario. So I recommend starting here... even if you can't transfer that experience or the items over to the main game.

Here is gameplay of the full mission (broken up due to size), which leaves the main campaign unseen for those of you looking to get the game.

SpellForce 3 places you in the shoes of the Betrayer's Child... which its probably safe to assume that no one would want to be known as... in real life. You can choose the name, sex and appearance of this character (to a degree) before starting his or her journey. This is a nice touch, though I would've preferred something a bit more custom... its better than nothing. Your father/the betrayer is known as... Isamo Tahar, a mage rebel. He convinced several Royal Houses of Northander to turn against the Queen to join forces with him... in hopes to put an end to the persecution and discrimination of mages in Northander. You happened to be saved from execution by the commander of a Royal Army elite unit, General Sentenza Noria... which lands you on the side of the Royal Army where you begin your playable journey just after the end of the wars.

The playable adventure itself involves you setting out to find who or what is behind something known as Bloodburn (that looks like a plague) decimating parts of Nortander. During your journey, you will meet new characters and factions to join forces as you dive deeper into the story. I won't be going into detail about that, but I will say that (for me) the story is pretty good... and it flows well.

SpellForce 3 is a real-time strategy/role-playing game, but... it also has something for fans of base building. I like when hybrids hit it out of the park, and this game is almost the perfect blend.

The base building comes into play when you're taking on the opposition, so it's not something you'll be stuck doing all the time. It's a nice touch though... just be prepared to race against the clock in order to get your base prepared for on-coming attacks when battling some enemies; you also have to build your offense to take care of that threat at its source via a tried and true Click 'n Fight system.

You have a variety of characters at your disposal once they join your squad, just make sure that you take advantage of the fact that you have variety. Equip them with the right weapons to make sure you can bring the hand to hand combat + ranged attack options. Not only that... make sure you take advantage of the skill tree to have a full circle of ability during your adventure... so that you can bring the pain and the healing. Trust me, you'll need it.

These battles can really feel like overwhelming tasks at times (to the degree of "WTF?! Is this even beatable?!" as you increase the difficulty) but stick to it... even if you have to save your progress in the middle of the battle based on you reaching strong momentum in battle just in case it goes left. My frustration came from not being able to zoom out and collectively see the areas all my soldiers were located. That's something I appreciated about the RTS game... RUSE. Don't get me wrong, you can zoom out to a nice extent, but not as much as I'd prefer because I'd like to see what's going on and act accordingly. You can click on the map to see that location or scroll to that location, but a zoom similar to RUSE would've been a plus. Also the ability to lock the camera onto selected characters.

I think zooming may have been limited due to the level of detail this game has... I mean the environments are beautiful in SpellForce 3. I found myself just zooming in and out to appreciate the work the developers put in at times, and I still do, to be honest. So visually they knock this game out of the park and the audio quality is awesome (minus hearing "We're being... attacked!" one too many times). Go up to the video above and really listen to the background music, the sounds in the environment, the voiceovers and of course the sounds of battle and other sound effects. Use quality speakers or headphones... and just listen, they really deliver in this game.

Outside of the single-player, you also have PvP multi-player action... as well as a co-op mode that I really look forward to trying out (aka I haven't played it yet). So replay value is here, which also comes by way of 39 Steam Achievements and the SpellForce 3 Editor allows you to create levels and so forth. Modders should be able to appreciate the mod tools... and I'm actually looking forward to seeing what is created.

Price wise... I don't have any complaints about the full retail price because you get a fully satisfying experience with depth by way of an RTS/RPG masterpiece that's actually worth it. Nuff said. I don't see anything fit to really be a con... but I will say that I'm not the biggest fan of rotating the camera in search of items in the environment. They're almost swallowed up by the detail in some locations, but just consider that as an added challenge since it doesn't make or break the game.

Overall, I think that SpellForce 3 is a force to be reckoned with in the RTS/RPG genre... and the man hours have been well spent because this is one beautiful looking adventure with a story packed with depth and audio I can appreciate.